In response to the important front-page article “Silver Tsunami” which appeared in the Sunday, 11/23/25 News-Press edition, I’d like to introduce an organization that views “silver tsunami” not as a crisis but as an extraordinary opportunity for Lee County. Neighbors Network of Lee County (NNLC) is building a network of neighborhoods with a mission to help “silvers” age in our own homes with neighbors helping neighbors across generations to create a socially connected community that benefits everyone.
We, at NNLC, are a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization and member of the national Village-to-Village Network, a grassroots movement of 400 villages across the country (though surprisingly few in Florida). Each village is tailored to its local community, built on a simple but powerful premise: Neighbors of all ages have gifts to share, and older adults deserve to remain valued, connected and supported in the places they call home. That goal can be a reality when neighbors help neighbors.
NNLC’s beginning is in the Six Mile Cypress area of Fort Myers. Founded in 2022 as an umbrella organization for the development of villages throughout Lee County, we are members of the Aging Coalition of Lee County, supported by a grant to the State of Florida Department of Health in Lee County. It was during Coalition meetings that a small group formed to create a “village” in Lee County…